Former Andhra minister arrested in land grabbing case

Hyderabad, Jan 31 (IANS) Former Andhra Pradesh minister P. Shankar Rao, who played a key role in sending YSR Congress party leader Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy to jail in illegal assets case, was arrested Thursday in a land grabbing case.

He was arrested from his house in Musheerabad area here and taken to Neredmet police station, where he was being questioned about a case booked against him.

There was tension at Rao's house when his supporters tried to stop police from taking him into custody but the policemen bundled him into a waiting vehicle and took him to a police station.

The controversial Congress leader had reportedly gone into hiding after police started looking out for him in October last year as the high court had vacated a stay on his arrest. Police later did not take any action as he was indisposed.

Shankar Rao is a member of state assembly from Secunderabad (Cantonment) in the state capital.

Some residents of Greenfield Colony on the city outskirts had lodged a police complaint against Rao and his brother Dayanand, and police had booked the duo for cheating and forgery.

It was on a letter by Rao that the high court in 2011 had ordered probe by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against Jaganmohan Reddy.

The controversial leader was dropped from the state cabinet by Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy in January last year, after he embarrassed the government by filing a petition in the high court seeking probe into allegations of corruption against Home Minister Sabita Indra Reddy.

In March last year, Rao filed another petition in the high court, seeking probe against the chief minister in what he called red sander scam. Reacting sharply to his arrest, Rao accused the chief minister of being vindictive.

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